Sunday in the Park

The Jeff Burton Family Benefit began at 2 P.M. at Warwood Park. The grill was going, coolers were crammed, and people came out for a good cause. All afternoon musicians took the stage, and it was an evening of music for everyone. Sound was provided by Ron Lavenski of Brimstone Sound and he had a variety of music to work with.

Many local musicians rotate members and play musical chairs to help each other out, and today was no different. The bands began at the Warwood Lions Bandstand. The John Daner Project started the array of artists. John Daner – Keyboards and Vocals, Mike McDowell – Bass and Vocals, Brian Wallace – Drumsand Vocals and Brandon Harris – Electric Guitar and Vocals kickstarted the crowd, playing several cover songs. They added their own take to them, like “She’s Not There” by the Zombies.

Following the frontrunner was Trippin’ the Riff: Joe Calangelo – Guitar and Vocals, Russ Ratcliffe – Guitar and Vocals, Gary Roeder filling in on Drums and Vocals, and Eric Stadler – Bass. Their namesake is “just another way of saying love the music.” They played an assortment of songs, exhibiting their experience. Three of the songs that made their set were “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Closer to Free,” and a “Sweet Home Alabama/”Werewolves of London” mash-up.

Playing in the third place was Dr. X-Nay. “We play a lot of songs from the British Invasion,” they warned. To come through on that comment they played The Yardbirds “For Your Love,” among other overseas songs. Each set lasted just a little longer than an hour.

Fourth for the day was The Rip Rockers: Tom DeMuth – Lead Vocals, John Cain – Lead Guitar and Vocals, Jeff Berry – Rhythm Guitar and Vocals, Mark Beihl – Drums, and Frank Gilbert – Bass and Vocals. They were friendly and fun and kept the energy flowing. They were crowd-pleasers and provoked audience participation. Their set was also saturated with a slew of songs, including “Just My Imagination” by The Temptations.

Next was the “nameless genre” KR-3. The “psychedelic jam band” is Eric Stone – drums, Travis Hoard – keys, sax, and vocals, Alex Wudarski – bass and vocals and Tim Boyd – guitar and vocals. They recently signed to Perpetual Harmony Records and are currently in the studio recording. Perpetual Harmony Records released KR-3’s entire back catologue that covers 5 KR-3 contributions. They revealed two songs from their upcoming release, “Down” and “Jailbird.”

Ending the enjoyable evening was Vanilla Sounded Chocolate. Manon Misto, Ty Carney, Michael Dicarlo and Matt Fitzgerald played to park patrons as the sun set. Their musical contributions consisted of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin'” by Journey and an original. The weather was with us and a crowd came out to chip in. Music was heard, money was raised. It was a successful Sunday in the park!